"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message

stuff snipped

I once heard an Atlantic City Expressway police rep characterize
a car parked on the shoulder at night with lights on as a "Drunk
Magnet".

I used to be a police reporter and did lots of "ride alongs" with State
Troopers and the county police. One of Maryland's first female troopers
lost both legs below mid thigh because she stopped on the shoulder, standing
between her cruiser and the car she had just pulled over when a drunk driver
slammed into her cruiser and pinned her between the two cars, crushing her
legs like mashed potatoes.

A veteran trooper gave me a very useful piece of information: When you need
to pull over the the shoulder, get as far off the roadway as you can.
Another important tip was to exit the travel lane very quickly, spending as
little time riding on the shoulder as possible.

If you watch experienced troopers, they stay in the travel lanes as long as
possible and then quickly pull onto the shoulder. The reason is that the
shoulder is often littered with broken glass and all sorts of other debris
that is knocked off the main roadway. The longer you drive on the shoulder,
the more likely you are to get a flat tire.

--
Bobby G.